


Absence of Discretion

by 4everkizuna



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 18:44:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2319563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4everkizuna/pseuds/4everkizuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes the floor has to cave in and the roof needs to crumble so that you can build a new house...a home. Things go very differently after Trevor reveals his secret to Jessica.<br/>Goes completely AU after season 1.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Absence of Discretion

Trevor had almost ruined Harvey Spector that day. Because of Mike, because of jealousy and who knew what all, Trevor had revealed their secret to Jessica.  
It had been a close damn thing, but Mike wouldn’t let Harvey fall, wouldn’t let the only person who had ever really believed in him, the person who in the end mattered the most suffer because of him. Because of Rachel, who wouldn’t give Mike the time of day when he was actually interested, decided he was the person she wanted only after he started dating Jenny; because of Trevor who listened to Rachel's message and decided to get back at Mike for taking Jenny, never considering Jenny took Mike not the other way ‘round; because of Mike’s fucked up life, Harvey’s whole career, his whole life was put at risk. Funny thing was Jenny went back to Trevor without much more than a “Sorry Mike, but I love him. He needs me.” Trevor went back to smoking and selling pot, not understanding why Mike couldn’t just let it go since, “We’ve been friends forever. Isn’t that worth more than some job? Where’s your loyalty man.” And Rachel, of course, decided her first impression of him was spot on, “I’m always right about people. You’re a cheater Mike. Do you really think its fair to get a job that should go to people like me who work hard?” He wasn’t sure how she found out about the whole mess, but she was determined to make him feel like shit. 

In the end only one person had been left at his side- Harvey Spector, “I’m sorry kid. I promised you this wouldn’t happen and it did. I won’t let them do anything to you, okay Mike. I’m too valuable to the firm. It’ll be alright.” And Harvey meant it too and he probably would have made it work. Mike had seen the guy pull bigger miracles out of thin air, but if there was even a chance of Harvey coming out on the losing end of things Mike wasn’t willing to take the risk. He went to Jessica before Harvey had any opportunity. He made a deal. He should have negotiated better terms; walked away with a bundle, but it didn’t feel right. They had lied and he couldn’t make Ms. Pearson pay for their sins. So he just walked away with the promise that Harvey was safe. He signed the non-disclosure forms, handed over every piece of paper at his desk, the laptop he got from Benjamin the IT douche, who was actually kind of nice when you got to know him, and his ID badge and he walked away from the best and worst thing that had ever happened to him. He left flowers on Donna’s desk while she was in the bathroom, but otherwise said goodbye to no one.

 

 

Everything might have been ruined that day. Trevor Evans walked into Pearson Hardman, way off his turf, and spilled their secret to Jessica. The petty bastard hadn’t thought twice about fucking up his supposedly best friend’s life over a girl. As if any woman wouldn’t choose funny, kind, attractive Mike with a real future ahead of him over a living, breathing anchor. Of course, in the end this particular woman did exactly that, so who was he to say. 

And then Mike did exactly what Harvey always worried he would. He made a deal with Jessica to disappear quietly, legally binding himself to never speak of his nine months at Pearson Hardman. The kid left without even a goodbye or a thanks for the opportunity. He just left Donna a bunch of red flowers and turned tail and ran.

Harvey couldn’t remember ever being angrier. He quietly stormed and seethed for three days before Donna got fed up. She calmly walked into his office and let loose with both barrels. 

“Enough Harvey. You don’t get to be mad at him. I don’t think that kid had much in his life worth holding onto, fighting for. But this job and you were. And believe me I know he screwed up a good 60% of the time, but he always wanted to do better, always gave this place everything he had. And he gave it all up for the only thing he cared for more. He jumped off a ledge so you wouldn’t get pushed off a cliff. So be mad at how it all played out, but not at him!” She spun on her three-inch heels and headed back to her domain, but before walking through the door turned back. “Don’t be mad at yourself either. It wasn’t a promise you had control over keeping. Go find him. There are other ways to fix this and you are the best damn closer in New York City.”

 

One Year Later…

 

Fixing his new tie in the mirror, Harvey lets his mind drift back over all that happened in the previous twelve months. It came to him like a montage in a bad ‘80’s romcom.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Trying to find Mike Ross, who didn’t answer his phone or return Harvey’s messages, who had sublet his apartment, and who rarely even saw his beloved grandmother anymore. Listening to the worry in her voice as she explained that Mike had taken two jobs just to make ends meet. What she didn’t know was that her grandson was not in fact making ends meet and that payments to the nursing facility were a month in arrears. That was, at least, something that he could take care of.

ººººººººº  
Mike coming to him with some strange mixture of anger, embarrassment, and relief clouding his blue eyes. He said he couldn’t accept Harvey’s money and Harvey calmly pointed out that the money was for his grandmother not him and so therefore he had no say in the matter. Of course he won the argument because that’s what Harvey Spector does. He also managed to talk the kid into quitting one of his jobs since the nursing home was taken care of into the foreseeable future and they started meeting for coffee or lunch a couple of times a week. Harvey began looking forward to those days even more than dates at Maialino or chances to impress Jessica and infuriate Louis. 

ººººººººº  
Discovering Mike was homeless. He was living in shelters and, sometimes, cheap motel rooms when he could afford it. He could’ve worked for Trevor selling pot, could’ve gone back to cheating the LSATs for pay, but he didn’t. Harvey liked to think that Mike’s time with him had helped him mature; that he had somehow been a part of making the kid a better person. However, he didn’t like that this newfound maturity resulted in Mike’s life seeming so precarious. 

ººººººººº  
Harvey using all of his considerable talents as a litigator to get Mike to agree to move in with him. It became easier after the kid’s bike and a week’s worth of wages were stolen while he grabbed some much-needed sleep at the Fort Washington Men’s Shelter. He didn’t understand the feeling that lodged in the pit of his stomach when he saw that all of Mike’s belongings now fit in a couple of duffels and large cardboard box. His office became Mike’s room, the fridge slowly filled with the food Mike loved, and the whole condo felt different. It should have been strange, uncomfortable, but instead Harvey looked forward to coming home everyday. He wasn’t sure he ever really thought of the place as home per se, just a great place that showed off his wealth and success. Now it was so much more.

ººººººººº  
Mike coming to Harvey his pride wounded but still intact to ask for a loan. He wanted to go to the paralegal certification program at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Harvey couldn’t have been more proud if Mike said he’d been accepted into Harvard Law. 

ººººººººº  
Nights after a hard days at work or school spent re-watching the entire three seasons Star Trek and then strangely enough Bonanza and then LA Law after that. Pizza and beer, comfortable clothes, and even more comfortable company; Harvey’s life was changing right under his nose. 

ººººººººº  
Mike asking Harvey to tell him about his baseball days, asking if he missed it. The look of total awe when he told him about the three hours and forty-five minutes he spent in the majors. He was a relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians for one game, during which he threw a total of two pitches before being sent back down. A week later he was in the mailroom at Pearson Hardman and month after that Jessica Pearson made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

ººººººººº  
Coming home to find Mike sound asleep on the sofa, pen and paper still in hand, laptop open, and books spread around, hair a mess and face relaxed and innocent. Harvey had an instant urge to walk over and wrap him up in his arms and never let go and realizing, with blood pounding in his ears, that he was truly, deeply in love for probably the first time in his life. He loved Mike Ross; wanted to hold him, protect him, care for him always. He spent the next twenty minutes watching Mike sleep and quietly freaking out. After which he gathered his wits and made a plan. Mike was too important to him to risk hurting and as he really had no experience with long-term relationships, he could only assume it would end with him hurting Mike. Never mind the fact that all of this would play havoc with his life, work, hell everything. He’d spent the better part of ten years divorcing himself from the emotions that plagued lesser men. Mike had been chipping away at Harvey’s carefully constructed persona for over a year, but this would be too much. Friendship would have to be enough and really the only thing missing from their current situation would be the physical aspect of a “romantic relationship”. Mike already gave him everything else – companionship, respect, caring, honesty, and laughter. He knew that he could live with just that. Of course the fact that it was taking every ounce of will power not to reach out and caress the younger man’s cheek should have been a good clue that it wasn’t going to be so easy.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Harvey shook his head and focused on the here and now. He assessed his reflection - suit flawless, tie impeccable, hair perfect. Just like every day. But it wasn’t just like every day. Today was the day Mike Ross started his new job at Pearson Hardman Law Associates for the second time, this time as an assistant paralegal. Harvey bristled at the idea that Mike’s considerable intellect would be wasted on such a low level position, but he could feel pride of accomplishment radiating off of his friend so he could live with it. Mike was happy, so Harvey was happy. He had never in his adult life experienced that feeling; his happiness being dependant or complimented by another’s. He would have shuddered at the very idea a year before, but now he knew why it appealed to so many. Loving someone was a powerful thing.


End file.
